January Market Report

 

 

 

 

 

The driving force behind the substantial price increases over the past two years has been the supply of homes, or lack thereof. So, will the housing shortage reverse? The answer is no, as there is no reasonable scenario that would bring active listings to pre-pandemic norms. Before February 2020, seasonal inventory typically peaked in the summer months, but it was trending slightly lower each year. In 2016, inventory peaked at 1.55 million active listings, and by 2019, the peak fell to 1.35 million homes. Inventory in 2021 reached its highest point at approximately 621,000, a 54% decline over two years. Homebuilders simply cannot build fast enough, especially in sought-after urban areas that have already been developed, and new listings are peaking far lower than the historical seasonal norms. 

 

At the same time, we are on pace to see around a million more homes sold in 2021 than in a typical year, based on the long-term average. In other words, more homes are selling, despite the historically low inventory, which is further driving down inventory. In 2022, we expect demand to remain elevated and supply depressed, which should keep home prices from depreciating. 

 

Price appreciation likely will not see the record gains we experienced over the past two years, which is actually good. If we learned one thing from the mid-2000s, we know that we don’t want another housing bubble. The deceleration in price increases, therefore, actually benefits the current market. From a practical standpoint, home prices rising at 20% per year is unsustainable and would certainly cause a major collapse. Moving through 2022, we expect year-over-year price increases to move back to historical norms, in the 5–10% range. 

 

Fed rate hikes in 2022 could drastically affect appreciation as well, which, again, isn’t a bad thing. The low-cost financing we’ve seen over the past two years could be coming to an end (although it’s difficult not to take a believe-it-when-I-see-it-approach to rate increases). When we account for current inflation, which is the highest it’s been since 1981, the real rate of borrowing is negative if you borrow at a rate below 6.8%. Simply put, you’re getting paid to borrow! We don’t expect this phenomenon to last long — it’s a fairly unique situation.

 

The market remains competitive for buyers, but conditions are making it an exceptional time for homeowners to sell. Low inventory means sellers will receive multiple offers with fewer concessions. Because sellers are often selling one home and buying another, it’s essential that sellers work with the right agent to ensure the transition goes smoothly.

 

 

After single-family home prices appreciated significantly in the first half of 2021, it made sense that price appreciation slowed in the second half. Miami-Dade and Broward counties’ single-family home prices reached all-time highs in December, while Broward County prices closed the year slightly below their peak. It might seem counterintuitive that home prices can still meaningfully appreciate after increasing so much over the past two years, but with inventory at record lows, 2022 will likely be one of the hottest markets we’ve seen. 

 

Condo prices have increased considerably over the last year as demand has grown. Condo prices across the selected markets reached record highs in December. In most of the country, we saw prices decline in the second half of the year, but the sustained record highs highlight the strong demand and desirability in Florida. With high sales relative to the available inventory, we anticipate a competitive market in the year ahead.

 

 

Overall, single-family home and condo inventory has been on a downward trajectory for the past two years due to the sustained high demand, bringing single-family home and condo supply to historic lows. We are seeing that far more people want to live in Florida than want to leave. Sales have been incredibly high, especially when accounting for available inventory, again highlighting demand in the area. Sellers can expect multiple offers, and buyers should come with competitive offers.

 

 

Homes are still selling extremely quickly. Days on Market is rising slightly for single-family homes, but this is more a function of seasonality than a lack of demand. 

 

Months of Supply Inventory (MSI) quantifies the supply/demand relationship by measuring how many months it would take for all current homes for sale on the market to sell at the current rate of sales. The average MSI is four to five months in Florida, which indicates a balanced market. An MSI lower than that indicates that there are more buyers than sellers on the market (meaning it’s a sellers’ market), while a higher MSI indicates there are more sellers than buyers (meaning it’s a buyers’ market). Currently, single-family home and condo MSIs are historically low, indicating a strong sellers’ market.